Freezing
by Wafflegirl0304
Summary: Kai and Zane head to some icy caves to recover a special gem. But, some things very unfortunate happen along the way. Not yaoi, but read anyway. :3
1. The Icicle and Drowning

**Heheheheheheh. :3 YEAHHHHHH! Originally a one-shot, but will probably be a two or three-shot! xD yeah I'm loopy. Anyway enjoy! Review please, they make my day~! Oh and Kai's slightly OOC! (Out of character) :D**

I shiver as I trudge into the icy caves. Not a single sound, except the padding of our footsteps on the slippery ground. I can't wait to get out of here.

"Why do I have to come along again?" I ask Zane irritably.

"Sensei does not want me to go alone, Jay has a fever, and Cole injured himself." Zane states plainly. He doesn't seem affected by the cold at all. Well, he is the ice ninja.

"Let's just hurry up and find this gem thing," I mutter, walking ahead of Zane.

We venture into the freezing caves. I keep my sword sheathed. It seems to be the only thing keeping me warm. I never noticed that heat radiates from it, and I'm glad for that. Zane has his shurikens out, in case there are any things we need to get rid of.

Drops of water echo in the tunnels, which makes me wonder: is the ice actually melting? Ha, it could be because of my sheer awesomeness and fiery-ness. I smirk to myself, but Zane doesn't seem to notice.

He gazes around the caves, and I watch his pale blue eyes dart about, taking in the sights. Not that there's much to see. It's just ice, ice and more ice. And occasionally snow.

We walk and walk until we arrive at an intersection. I sneeze suddenly, and the sound bounces off the walls of the cave. Zane shoots me a slightly accusing look.

"Sorry," I sniff quietly. I hide the fact that I'm freezing half to death in this place.

Zane eyes the two possible pathways before pointing to the one on the right. I nod and we amble down it. Same scenery, but I can feel the temperature drop significantly. My breath is starting to turn into mist.

"H-How do you p-put up with this cold?" I inquire, wrapping my arms around myself. Zane shrugs. "I have always been used to this cold."

It's boring. We continue on. My legs are beginning to lose feeling...or is that just me?

"Are you alright?" Zane's calm voice echoes in the empty hallways.

"Never better," I reply, still shivering.

That's when something breaks the ice. No pun intended.

"What the bliz is that thing!?" I yell, jumping backwards. The fire inside me seems to blaze wildly for a few seconds before dying down. I take in the thing's large frame and appearance. It's about twice my size, has white fur, a bear nose, and violet eyes. On its four legs are paws with claws so sharp and pointed that they look like they can cut through metal. They probably can't. I'm really hoping they can't. It has fangs the length of my sword, and canines so large they can probably sever my head and then—

"Kai!" Zane shouts. Reality snaps back and I jump out of the way before a blast of ice and snow hits me. I unsheath my sword and shoot flames at the thing.

"That's an Icicle!" Zane calls, flinging his shurikens into the Icicle's meaty limbs. The thing roars in pain. It sounds like a lion and Zane's falcon mixed together. And it sounds worse in these echoey caves.

"How are we supposed to kill this thing?" I ask, ducking as the Icicle slashes at me with its ridiculously sharp claws.

"With fire!" Zane yells. "Use your fire, Kai!"

I nearly scream in fright as the Icicle rips half of Zane's face off. Yeah, that sounds creepier than it really is. He looks like a cyborg now.

"Zane!" I call frantically.

"It's okay, Kai!" his voice answers evenly. "Use your fire!" he shouts again.

Ugh, I don't know if I can. I glare at the Icicle, who seems to be satisfied with destroying Zane's face. I stagger backward as the thing advances towards me.

"GRRRR-OOOOH!" it bellows. Sheesh, this thing is angrier than me when I don't get enough sleep. I point the blade of my sword at the Icicle's face.

"Eat this, you overgrown...whatever you are!" I cry, letting loose a bunch of flames at the Icicle. It roars in agony. Suddenly something strikes me from the side. Pain explodes from my side and I crumple to the ground.

My vision falters and a flash of white temporarily blinds me. I see Zane running over to me, concern flooding his features—or what's left of them.

"Kai! Kai, are you okay?"

Nope. Ow. Owwww. My side is burning, as if I'm really on fire. I can't move my body...yet...

"Kai!"

Zane's voice grows more urgent. I groan to let him know I'm not dead. He puts a hand on my body, and a strangled cry escapes my mouth.

"Sorry. Does it hurt there?"

Well, obviously! Or I wouldn't be here, writhing in complete agony...hey, what happened to the Icicle? My side doesn't hurt as badly, so I sit up slowly. I notice the Icicle, sprawled on the ground, probably dead.

"Y-Yeah,"

Zane helps me up. "Can you walk?"

"I think so,"

I take a cautious step and am glad that I don't fall flat on my face. Then the cold starts to replace the pain.

"We need to keep moving," Zane urges. "Are you sure you are okay?"

"I told you I'm fine," I growl. "Let's go."

We continue heading down the tunnel silently until Zane says something not as random as expected.

"No you didn't,"

I'm about to ask him what he means, but then I remember that I told him I'm fine. I chuckle quietly.

"Whatever,"

I know Zane's smiling.

Another junction. Three tunnels this time. Zane observes them before leading me down the middle one. I have no idea how he's doing this. Does he have an internal compass or something? Well, he's a robot, so maybe he would. His creator might have built it in. That's actually pretty handy when you think about it. Like, you're lost in a jungle, and then suddenly the compass inside you dings and you know exactly which way to go. Speaking of ways to go, I...

I'm losing it. I'm sounding like Jay.

Zane suddenly stops. He looks around.

"The ice is highly breakable. Watch your step," he warns. I nod and walk very, very slowly and quietly.

I really don't see the difference between this place and the others though. Everything looks the same to—ahh!

I barely even have time to yell before the ice underneath my feet gives way and I feel myself splash into the impossibly cold water under. My lungs burn and I thrash wildly, despite the fact that my side is screaming for me to stop. Then it gets hard to move. Agony and cold overwhelm me. My body is freezing. I'm going to die. Oh gosh.

Something pulls me up but I can't stay awake long enough to see. My system shuts down, and I pass out.


	2. Hypothermia

I step carefully on the ice. I can't tell which parts are dangerous, so I simply tread lightly. Kai seems to be doing alright, so I focus on getting across this area of brittle ice.

And then the splash comes.

I whip to the side just in time to see my hotheaded brother being swallowed by the ice. My eyes—I mean eye—widens and I immediately take a very tense and careful step over to where he fell.

Did Kai not see the crack in the ice right here? I hesitate for a second before diving into the freezing waters. Thankfully, they aren't too cold. My body is built to withstand extremely low temperatures—up to -10 degrees Celsius.

Eye open, I spot Kai drifting slowly deeper into the water. I latch onto his wrist and pull him up, dragging him off the brittle ice to regular ice again.

I feel his pulse, and a wave of slight relief washes over me. It's still there, but it's slow. His body seems to have gone into shock. If I don't get him warmth now, he could get hypothermia...

I press on Kai's chest to see if he swallowed any water. A few drops trickle out, and then nothing. My bionic heart beats against my chest. I realise I'm cold. But Kai is probably colder. His core temperature is about 32 degrees Celsius.

This...complicates things.

Maybe there is a way out of here. I hoist Kai's limp, cold body onto my back. He's much lighter than I thought he would be. I scan the area around us first.

Hmm...it's dome-shaped, completely made of ice, and has this time, four tunnels. I hastily contemplate each one, trying to sense if there is any danger. Kai's body shakes on mine, and we're both wet.

My bionic heart feels heavy as I trudge down the third tunnel. I led Kai and I into this mess. I should have sensed the danger. I should have warned him. I should have, but I didn't.

Along with hypothermia, Kai is probably suffering from rib bruising. The Icicle did hit him pretty hard. At least he managed to kill it. I cannot imagine what would happen if another one were to come. Without Kai's fire, that beast cannot be stopped.

I walk on, keeping my senses alert for any danger. How can I contact the Bounty? The walkie-talkies we brought are probably soaked and unusable. Why didn't I think of removing it first? This is all my fault!

A soft moan escapes Kai's mouth. I shift him on my back to make him more comfortable. Suddenly something white zings past me. I narrowly dodge it and glance upwards.

A small black bat hovers in the air, its dark eyes fixed on me. A Snowbat, huh? Two can certainly play at that game.

I shoot ice at the mammal, freezing it. It falls to the ground with a clanging noise that bounces off the walls of the cave.

I stare at it for a few seconds before I come back to my senses. What am I doing!? I have to get us home. With the gem. That is also one thing we need.

Why do we need the gem, you ask? Well, the snakes kidnapped Lloyd, and they request the gem which is located here in return for him. The gem doesn't seem to have any purpose except for having a high monetary value—ow, my head hurts.

I wince. The caves are starting to get dark. I wonder if the Icicle damaged my internal system when he hit me. Maybe I can still light the way.

I hustle down the tunnel and come to a small enclosed area. I spot a pedestal made of ice right in the centre. A lilac gem about the size of a marble rests on top, gleaming slightly. My eye seems to light up.

I ponder for a bit, wondering if I should leave Kai on the ground before going to get the gem. He'd be losing body heat, but if there was a trap or something, he'd be spared.

This is hard.

I bite my lip. I set Kai down against the ice cold walls. He doesn't make a noise, but turns over, shivering violently.

I race up to the pedestal and take out the marble I have in my pocket, replacing it with the gem. That's what Sensei instructed me to do...right?

I...I can't remember. It should be anyway.

I stuff the gem into my pocket and heave a sigh of relief, my breath misting in the air in front of me. I walk back to where I left Kai and pick him up again.

He stirs, and I keep still as he regains consciousness. "Kai?" I ask softly.

His body is shaking really badly now, and I can hear his teeth chattering. I frown and shake him gently.

"Z-Zane," he murmurs.

"Yes?" I reply.

"C-Cold,"

He sounds bad, too. "Don't worry, Kai. We'll get out of here,"

About seven minutes have passed since Kai fell into the water. We don't have much time. I know he needs warmth, and I need it too. Maybe I should try overheating my hard drive?

...No. Too dangerous. We could both perish here.

I turn back and go back the way we came. Let's see...third tunnel, middle, then right, so in reverse, it would be second tunnel, middle and left. Remember that, Zane.

I head down the second tunnel with a semi-conscious fire ninja on my back. His breathing is slow and laboured, a contrast to my slightly speedy breaths. I think I have hypertension.

_Just a little more,_ I tell myself. _When you get out of here, you can get warm. Just get out of here alive first._

"Z-Zane, the donuts are alive," Kai groans. "They're eating m-my side,"

I hope he's hallucinating. Not that it's a good thing, but it would be better than donuts really coming to life.

I come back to the brittle ice area. I put Kai onto the ground and carry him bridal-style, so that if the ice breaks, I can easily throw him off and he won't go down with me.

Thankfully the procedure goes smoothly most of the time that we're on thin ice.

Suddenly, about a few feet away from crossing the ice, I feel the ice crack under me. I spontaneously throw Kai to the side and gasp as the water swallows my legs. Thankfully, I keep my upper body out of the water.

It's freezing cold. I scramble to climb up again.

Cold sweeps through my body, especially my legs. Trembling, I crawl to Kai's shivering body and put his body into a foetus position before pulling my knees up to my chin to retain body heat. Kai's skin is pale and has a slight blue tint. His tired eyes meet mine.

"Z-Zane, we're g-g-gonna die," he whispers.

"N-No," I whisper back, unable to control the stammering. "N-Nobody's d-dying here,"

My limbs feel numb. We don't have time...we need...help...

I struggle to get myself into a standing position. My legs feel like dead weight. I don't know if I can carry Kai any more.

Suddenly Kai reaches up, takes my walkie-talkie and throws it at the wall before passing out again. It crackles to life.

"Zane? Come in, Zane!"

Come in. What a nice phrase.

"N-Nya, you m-must help us," I yell, my voice hoarse. "W-We have hy...hypothermia..."

My head spins. I can't focus.

"We're coming, Zane!"

"Left tunnel," I breathe. "Left tunnel,"

**_Warning! System shutting down in 5...4...3...2...1..._**

Everything goes white.

**Thanks for the reviews guys! :) Hope you enjoyed! One more chappie! :D Alright, see ya. Review, and have an awesome day/night!**


	3. Sick

**Okay... Review! :D Thank you guys for your reviews so far, they mean a lot. One more chapter after this, then I'm done. I'm done. Personally I don't like this story much :/ I think it's bad compared to my other stories... Oh and this is in Cole's POV!**

His body is as cold as ice.

A bead of sweat trickles down my forehead as I shift Zane's body on my back. The blanket that Nya draped over him hangs down over my sides, and I feel it slipping down slowly.

My knee still hurts from the wound I sustained earlier, but I grit my teeth and endure it. I gotta, for Zane. I don't know how bad his hypothermia is, but by the way he's shivering, it can't be good.

Ugh, I should have gone instead of Kai. Trust him to be distracted by cold and fall into freezing water...

I look up at Nya walking a few feet in front of me with Kai on her back. She seems to be handling him pretty well for a girl.

Zane stirs on my back and grunts quietly. His body tenses for a second before relaxing again.

"C-Cole?" he asks.

"Yeah, it's me," I reply.

Zane is quiet for a brief moment before he whispers, "Th-Thank y-you,"

"Hey, what are brothers for?" I grin, then wince as my knee nearly gives in. I stumble and lean forward dangerously, but I retain my hold on Zane. I am not letting him fall.

"Okay back there, Cole?" Nya asks.

"Yup," I say hastily and get to my feet.

"Y-You do n-not have t-to carry me," Zane stammers.

"Shut up, Zane. Don't you see how much you're stammering and shivering? No way am I letting you walk," I retort, hitching him higher.

"St-still acting like a l-leader, I s-see," Zane sighs. I grin and continue walking.

I need to keep him awake, so I say, "You gave us the wrong directions, so we took a longer time to find you guys,"

Zane thinks about this for a bit. "F-Forgive me. I was only th-thinking of the d-directions for Kai and I to l-leave,"

"It's okay,"

We arrive at the cave entrance, where the Bounty is waiting. I set Zane onto his bed and Nya puts Kai on his. Jay comes in with some hot water bottles.

"You're up," I state.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," he answers, handing a hot water bottle to me and rolling his eyes. His hand is still hot, from the water bottle and his fever.

Sick and still able to make jokes. Pssh.

I carefully place the hot water bottle between Zane's legs like Sensei told me to. (No, not near his—ahem—parts.) Then I cover him with the blanket.

He gazes up at me tiredly, his dilated pale blue eyes meeting my coffee-brown ones. "Thank you,"

He has stopped stuttering...thank goodness. "No problem." I smile and brush my dark bangs out of my eyes.

I see his body still shaking under the covers and frown. "Feel better,"

"It may be better if you open my chest panel and check if my gears are frozen or not," he says quietly.

"I think Jay can do that, not me," I chuckle. "Hey Jay, come for a minute will you?"

The chestnut-haired boy comes up to us. "Yeah?"

"Zane wants you to check his gears."

"Well, sure. But I don't think we'd be able to thaw them immediately without Kai."

Both of us glance up at the fire ninja curled up in bed, shivering and murmuring to himself. Jay and I exchange glances.

"J-Just do it," Zane urges.

Jay nods. He slowly pulls the blanket down off Zane's chest and opens the panel. He brushes his hand gently over our brother's switches, wires and gears.

I notice Zane's face flush considerably. Jay must have noticed as well, because he asks softly, "Does it hurt?"

"No...it just feels odd," the nindroid mumbles. "It is normal for me to feel this way,"

"I'm sorry," Jay says. "You're really cold, but I don't think any gears are frozen."

"And you're really warm. Why are you not in bed, recovering?" Zane asks, shivering a bit as Jay closes his chest panel and pulls the blanket back up.

"Got bored," Jay yawns. "I should probably go to bed before I make Cole sick too."

Jay goes to our bunk, climbs up and falls asleep. I think. Zane closes his eyes and soon I hear soft snoring.

I look up at Kai again. Poor hothead. Looks like his fire was finally got extinguished. I climb up to his bunk and see that he's awake.

"Hey," I say softly.

Kai's dark eyes meet mine but he doesn't say a word. He's still trembling violently, more than Zane.

"You okay?" I inquire.

He nods and whispers, "C-Cole, I'm c-cold. I don't l-like this f-feeling,"

"Nobody does," I respond, trying to comfort him. "You'll warm up soon, don't worry,"

Kai smiles a bit and I practically see the spark in his ebony eyes return, but only for a brief moment.

I smile back and climb down, flinching as my leg hits the floor. Ouch. That's gonna have to go. I reach into my pocket and pull out the gem Kai and Zane found. Lilac and cold to the touch. It's pretty nice. I can't believe the snakes want this thing in exchange for Lloyd. Doesn't seem fair to me, but whatever.

I stuff the gem into my pocket and walk out the door. Sensei bumps into me, his expression grim.

"Cole. How are you feeling?" he asks.

"My leg hurts a bit, that's all." I lie. Sensei doesn't seem to buy it, but he nods anyway.

"When at least one of your brothers has recovered, then you will go to the serpentine caves and get Lloyd back." he says.

"Yes Sensei," I bow in respect.

Those snakes are so gonna pay for making my family freeze half to death.

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